Every once in a while we get to see or hear of something that appears to be more akin to science fiction than reality. A new, futuristic transportation system that may be able to operate at about the speed of sound; a system called the Hyperloop sounds a bit like sci-fi too. This is possibly the future of public transport: a system designed to levitate and travel extremely fast. (Scroll down for a video of the hyperloop)
What is the Hyperloop?
The hyperloop is described as a conceptual high-speed transportation system. The concept was first propounded by Elon Musk; inventor, businessman and engineer best known for being the product architect of Tesla Motors and cofounder of PayPal and Zip2. The system uses “reduced-pressure tubes in which pressurized capsules ride on an air cushion driven by linear induction motors and air compressors”. That didn’t make sense to you? Me neither. To put it simply, this transportation system moves travel pods at incredibly high speeds through airtight tubes. Oh, and there are magnets involved somewhere.
What does make sense is that this people carrying pod was unveiled in Boston by a team from the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). The system works with the help of magnets that lifts the pod above aluminum tracks, thereby reducing friction and increasing speed. The transport system could achieve speeds of about 1127 kmph or 700 mph; traveling faster than flying! So this is something like sci-fi come to life; a mode of transport that could change the way we think about travel! Though right now, the system is prohibitively expensive, one wonders it it could become reality in our lifetime?
Is the Hyperloop a possibility in India?
The hyperloop is very small right now. More testing is required before it can be made big enough to carry a human being. Also it is astronomically expensive. The possibility of the system being used for public transport is an extremely dim and distant one. Right now, turning the pod is a “huge challenge” so presumably it can only travel in a straight line. Also the brakes need more testing.
So India’s out then! No brakes and no ability to turn? The sheer challenge of locomotion of any sort in our country…. Impossible! We are still dreaming of a bullet train here… the Hyperloop is alas very much a pie in the sky. For us Indians, this concept of travel in the hyperloop video below is still very much restricted to the realm of sci-fi:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0IRclw_ts8
